Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 α (Hif1α) plays a crucial role in brain development. To study the function of Hif1α in early brain development, we generated neuroepithelial cell-specific Hif1α-knockout mice. Hif1α-knockout mice died soon after birth; these mice exhibited an abnormal head shape, indicating the presence of brain defects. Morphological analysis revealed that Hif1α ablation reduced the overall size of the brain, especially affecting the telencephalon. Neuronal apoptosis predominantly occurred in deep-layer neurons, consequently the alignment of cortical layers was severely disorganized in Hif1α knockout mice. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Vegf signaling contributes to the survival of deep-layer neurons as a downstream effector of Hif1α-dependent hypoxia signaling. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that Hif1α plays a critical role in the early stages of telencephalon development.

Jets issuing through small holes in a wall into a freestream has proven effective in the control of flow separation. This technique is known as the vortex generator jet (VGJs) method. If a precursor signal of separation is found, the separation control system using VGJs can be operated just before the onset of separation and the flow field with no separation is always attained. In this study, we measured the flow field and the wall static pressure in a two-dimensional diffuser to find a precursor signal of flow separation. The streamwise velocity measurements were carried out in the separated shear layer and spectral analysis was applied to the velocity fluctuations at some angles with respect to the diffuser. The pattern of peaks in the spectral analysis changes as the divergence angle increases over the angle of which the whole separation occurs. This change in the spectral pattern is related to the enhancement of the growth of shear layer vortices and appears just before the onset of separation. Therefore, the growth of shear layer vortices can be regarded as a precursor signal to flow separation.

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